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Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

In another thread, CY ST8T made mention of this morning's interview. Michael Bradley writes for the Sporting News on college football.

Kotlar asked Bradley to give a "national" perspective on the issue of McCarney's future as ISU's head coach.

Here were his key points:

ISU fans should not expect to get 10-12 wins a season. We do not have the tradition, in-state talent, or money to do this. We should be happy with 7 & 8 wins. Don't we remember what it was like from 1981-1994? (he rattled of the number wins each season - 5,3,4,etc.)

We won't be able to get a coach to take us to the next level. We can only attract I-AA head coaches or I-A coordinators. Each of those would be risky. And even if we find someone who does get us to a North title and 9+ wins, that coach will leave as soon as a bigger school comes calling.

Dan McCarney wants to be here. He is loyal. He runs a clean program. He is a good guy. Do we want to take a chance with another coach who might embarass us like Larry Eustacy?

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

Originally Posted by BillyClone

[*]We won't be able to get a coach to take us to the next level. We can only attract I-AA head coaches or I-A coordinators. Each of those would be risky. And even if we find someone who does get us to a North title and 9+ wins, that coach will leave as soon as a bigger school comes calling.[*]Dan McCarney wants to be here. He is loyal. He runs a clean program. He is a good guy. Do we want to take a chance with another coach who might embarass us like Larry Eustacy?[/LIST]That was pretty much it. Any thoughts? I know I have some.

Both very true unfortunately. Hell Jimmy Johnson was a coach at one time and he definately moved on to bigger and better things. The last part of the first point is very true. The moment we find a great coach to lead this program, why wouldnt they move on. We dont have everything that the bigger schools can offer.

The second point is true no matter who you are, but the con to that statement is that it is a chance you have to take. LE was a dissappointed to the University, but you never know that going in with anyone. Just because you have a great guy personality wise, doesnt mean you keep him around. He needs to get the job done. Look at Dusty Baker.

"You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace." -- Ernie Banks

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

I agree with the guy. Time to pull the collective head out of the collective behind and come back to reality. You can come up with all of the examples that you want, but find me one down and out program with similar budget that has turned it all around to consistently win 8 or 10 or more games. You can find a hot program here and there who have jumped up each year, or for a year or two, but everyone forgets about them when they drop back out of the spotlight. See Maryland.

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

Originally Posted by Cyclonepride

I agree with the guy. Time to pull the collective head out of the collective behind and come back to reality. You can come up with all of the examples that you want, but find me one down and out program with similar budget that has turned it all around to consistently win 8 or 10 or more games. You can find a hot program here and there who have jumped up each year, or for a year or two, but everyone forgets about them when they drop back out of the spotlight. See Maryland.

So unless you are Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, USC, etc. you will never amount to anything? Look what Iowa is building...they have the same recruiting area as we do, they just do a better job. Sure they have more money but they have earned it.

You have to start somewhere. We have made the first steps in coming from the cellar, now let's get to the top. It's not going to happen overnight, but it can happen.

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

Like I said the other thread, what else would you expect from Cotlar? The guy will say & do anything that is positive so that it doesn't hurt his chances of having ISU coaches & Pollard come on his crappy morning show.

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

I tend to agree with Bradley's "big picture" analysis. Since we don't have any pro sports here in Iowa I think Iowa and ISU athletics sometimes get put under the microscope because we have nothing else to talk about. Nationally ISU still does not have the respect and reputation that everyone thinks we have. The guy from Rutgers is NOT going to even blink an eye at our job if Mac is fired and we will not do any better than a 1-AA coach or a 1-A assistant. Mac was a 1-A assistant when we hired him remember. Who wants to come to cold Iowa to a school that has little football tradition and the fans are currently calling for the head of the only coach to have any kind of success here? And who is to say that if we get an up and comer that wins 9 or 10 games that he doesn't use us as a stepping stone for a better job then we are right back at square one?

People here seem to act like ISU would be a hot spot to coach but bottom line is we are still looked down on and are no more desirable to coach than teams like Baylor, Indiana, and Illinois still.

I talked to a friend who went to the OU game the other week and the Oklahoma fans they tailgated near thought Mac has done a great job making us competitive and can't believe that people here want him fired after as bad as we were before him. I've heard a lot of the same things from other schools fans in the past year or so as well. Oh, and I guess Jamie Pollard likes to tailgate too as this friend got a picture of Jamie with their group in Norman with Pollard and them all holding beers for the pose. Well it's hard to tell if Pollard really has a beer in his hand and he has the side of it well-covered up but they claim it was a beer. :)

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

Originally Posted by travman23

Oh, and I guess Jamie Pollard likes to tailgate too as this friend got a picture of Jamie with their group in Norman with Pollard and them all holding beers for the pose. Well it's hard to tell if Pollard really has a beer in his hand and he has the side of it well-covered up but they claim it was a beer. :)

If he was smart it wasn't a natty light, the girls were around his age, he was smiling not smooching, and the can was not held up for all to see. : -)

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

Originally Posted by Cyclonepride

I agree with the guy. Time to pull the collective head out of the collective behind and come back to reality. You can come up with all of the examples that you want, but find me one down and out program with similar budget that has turned it all around to consistently win 8 or 10 or more games. You can find a hot program here and there who have jumped up each year, or for a year or two, but everyone forgets about them when they drop back out of the spotlight. See Maryland.

Your right of course. I was around for the Stapleton-Majors-Bruce years plus what followed. Majors and Bruce were both successful and moved on to better football coaching jobs.

Duncan quit in frustration, Jim Criner was Fired, Jim Walden was Fired then Mac brought back respectability and because he is an Iowa guy(state of iowa not university of) decided to stay at Iowa State.

If you hire a hot shot young coach who succeeds you will be training him for his next job. Our football history tells us this much.

The old adage still applies: "Be careful what you wish for you might just get it."

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

Other teams are always big fans of Mac. This is the same reason I'm a fan of Steve Alford. I don't think Iowa should ever fire him.

As far as the interview, I'll never give up. I have no doubt that we can field a good team every year. Colorado has done it, Nebraska has done it, KSU has done it. None of these schools started at the top.

And before someone mentions that Colorado now sucks, just give them a few years.

Ferentz was an O-line coach in the NFL and I wouldn't say he's too bad of a coach. There are a lot of options.

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

What about Louisville, what about West Virginia, Utah made a BCS game, what about Boise State and Fresno State, I don't see more tradition and money there, what about TCU? What about Tulsa? If we shouldn't expect to compete in this conference why are we in it? How do we compare to Arkansas, they rise up for a good season every now and then. I don't see how anyone who has been involved with athletics could say we shouldn't expect more than 7 wins a year.

Re: Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

Problem with this logic is, do we consider this season respectable????

Yes, every coach has bad seasons, but the way this one is going down is not what we expected. We are supposed to have the best offense in the league (PER NATIONAL MEDIA!) and look what we are getting. We all expected a tough season due to a young defense, but the offense?

No one (well no one realistically) expects us to get 10-12 wins per year and compete for the nat'l championship. I think the majority of us would be happy with consistent winning seasons (8-9 wins) sprinkled with a 10 win season here and there, and on the bad side a 7 or 6 win season. At least have us competing for a conference championship every so often, even when the rest of the teams are not down.

If the current staff was headed for those (their own!!) benchmarks, we would not be having this discussion.

But we are, because the way the team is playing. There is a reason that McCarney is the dean of the coaches, one is because he has done great things for the university, and also because historically good and great coaches are successful in one spot for only so long. Notice I did not say legendary (Paterno, Bowden, Fry, etc.)

Nebraska is getting much better, they will return to national prominance. Mizzou is regaining prominance, Colorado WILL improve, I'll guarantee that. If something is not done, we will be right back where we were 10 years ago. Cellar Dwellars.

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